Diaz and Stevenson to Meet at TUF 9 Finale

According to multiple news outlets, a lightweight matchup between Joe Stevenson and Nate Diaz has been scheduled for The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale on June 20th.

MMAJunkie.com and MMAMadness have both confirmed with sources close to the situation that bout agreements have been submitted by the two former TUF winners, which will have them meeting at the Palms Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Although this is an important match for both fighters, Stevenson may need this one more. He has dropped three of his last four bouts, including his last two.

One of those losses came at the expense of current champion BJ Penn at UFC 80, where the two battled for the UFC’s vacant 155-pound title. It may be hard to believe, but Stevenson could very well find his head on the UFC’s chopping block if he were to drop three straight bouts, just one year removed from his title fight with Penn.

Diaz is also trying to rebound from a close split decision loss to Clay Guida at UFC 94 earlier this year. Prior to his bout with Guida, the Cesar Gracie trained fighter had been able to walk through his previous five UFC opponents.